Consumer guide
How to avoid rogue tradespeople
Whoever you hire, these checks protect your home and your wallet. It’s the standard we hold ourselves to.
Do
Checks before you book
- 1Use a company whose tradespeople are directly employed and fully qualified - not franchised or subcontracted to whoever is available.
- 2Check the company has genuine, recent reviews. If in doubt, ask whether you can speak to a past customer.
- 3Make sure tradespeople have been DBS checked, wear company uniform, carry photo ID and drive a company vehicle.
- 4Ask for the tradesperson's name, photo and vehicle registration before they arrive.
- 5For gas and boiler work, check the engineer is on the Gas Safe Register. For electrical work, look for NICEIC or a similar scheme.
- 6Make sure the company and the tradesperson are fully insured.
- 7Get a written quotation or estimate for larger work, and check published rates for hourly work.
- 8Choose a company whose phones are answered by real people around the clock if you need emergency cover.
Don’t
Red flags to watch for
- Being asked to pay an hour’s charge just to book a job.
- Hidden extras: parking, congestion charges, travelling time or admin fees you weren’t told about.
- Large mark-ups on materials, or materials on the invoice without receipts.
- Being charged for two people when one would do.
- Long, unexplained absences from the job to “collect materials” added to your bill.
- Requests for cash deposits or payment to the tradesperson personally rather than to the company by card.
- Cancellation fees you didn’t agree to in advance.
- Invoices without a breakdown of labour, times and materials.
How do I check a gas engineer is qualified?
Ask to see their Gas Safe ID card and check the licence number on the Gas Safe Register website or by calling 0800 408 5500. The card shows which types of gas work the engineer is qualified for, such as boilers or cookers. Never let an unregistered person work on gas appliances.
What should a tradesperson’s invoice show?
A proper invoice shows the company name and address, the date, start and finish times, a description of the work, the labour charge, and each material with its price, plus VAT if applicable. Check it against your estimate and the advertised rate before paying, and pay the company by card.
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